Tuesday, May 09, 2006

BCCI, professionalism and improvement - come again?

The Indian board has once again lost the plot completely, I must say. According to the latest report, they have 'warned' Sehwag from speaking out on Ganguly issue and, much more importantly, on the issue of player burnout.

"Sehwag has been warned verbally from speaking to the media on burnout and the Ganguly issue. Players cannot speak on Board policies and selection matters," Shah declared.

...

"If any player feels there is burnout, he can take rest. The Board cannot change its policy or itinerary for any player," Shah told PTI.

"Players cannot speak on Ganguly issue also. It is a matter which concerns the selection committee. As a player you cannot give your opinion on any other player."

Right, lets take it one at a time. On the burnout issue, off the top of my head I can recall Dhoni, Harbhajan, Dravid, Sachin and Pathan speaking about it in recent times. Have they been warned too?

Oh and btw, if you were still living in the dreamland where BCCI had promised cut-off at 12 tests and 30 ODIs per year (and which Rahul had re-iterated, were enough for the team) here's some news

"Fifteen Tests and 30 one dayers makes just 105 days. And for any professional, is there any profession that you play 105 days in a year?" said I S Bindra, former BCCI President.

And as for Rahul voicing his opinion on burnout (and a request for the ICC limit of matches to be honoured by BCCI) here's BCCI's reponse

"He (Dravid) is saying this because there is extra load on him now due to captaincy. We do everything in consultation with the players," said Sharad Pawar, President, BCCI.

So...there you have it now? Don't crib later that you were not warned!

I think Rahul's call for IPCA to be recognized by BCCI is all the more valid now, because I simply don't see our honourable honorary presidents and secretaries honouring their own words without a stronger coercive force.

By the way, here's Chappell speaking on the burnout debate, from the interview I linked earlier

What about the burnout factor?There is no doubt, if you try to play 365 days a year, you will run into problems. There is a balance between having a life as well as playing cricket. It is important players have opportunities to reflect.

Most players at the end of their careers find it difficult to have the enthusiasm they had at the start of their careers.

That’s a factor selectors should take into consideration and from time to time players may need to have a break. Equally, the administration should understand there is a limit to how many games in a year an individual or group of individuals can cope with and keep up with the standards.

We are in the danger of denigrating the game if we make players so tired they are not able to perform at the peak of their powers. It’s important to have a rotation policy. You have to keep developing young players.

Wonder if he would be told to go take a break....and don't comment on *board's policies*

And lastly, on the Ganguly issue, here's what Sehwag actually said (interview linked by Prem yesterday)

Do you think when Ganguly was captain there was more aggression?

We are aggressive today also. We have won 16 matches in a row, chasing which has never happened in the past. We see to it that when we chase, we don’t panic, which we earlier used to do. That is a new thing in the team.

Sourav, I think, is the best captain, and I have always learnt from Sourav. I learnt from him the tactics on how to handle pressure, how to control those difficult situations. He has got 10,000 runs in one-day cricket.

If this is indeed what he said, and being penalised for, then where the heck is the alleged questioning of any selection matters here? I mean come on...the guy is speaking about his learning experiences, and if it is under Saurav that he arrived at the big stage and matured, learnt his first big lessons, then what is he going to do...use *beeps* instead of Saurav's name?

If Saurav's selection is a contentious issue with the board, does that mean that any mention of that name is a taboo for the entire team?